The set-up: Utah Jazz were one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the final two-plus months of the regular season. The Jazz were 19-28 after a loss at Atlanta on Jan. 22 but stormed back with a 29-6 mark down the stretch to seize the fifth seed in the West. They hope that positive mojo will carry over into the playoffs, which begins with a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series on Sunday. The Thunder boast a trio of veteran stars led by Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double for the second straight season. Oklahoma City won three of four matchups with the Jazz during the regular season, with Westbrook averaging 22.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the season series. The Thunder won 14 of their final 21 games and much of that late success came with the early-March signing of veteran Corey Brewer, who is questionable for the opener due to a sprained knee.

Utah: The team's turnaround roughly coincided with Gobert's return from a knee injury and he was dominant at times during the stretch run, averaging 16.6 points on 68.2 percent shooting to go along with 12.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in March. However, Utah has leaned on dynamic rookie guard Donovan Mitchell all year, as he's averaged 20.5 points in his first season and has shown no signs of 'hitting a rookie wall,' by scoring above his average in 12 of the final 14 games of the regular season. Gobert averaged 13.5-10.7-2.3 BPG on the season and his return in late January, jump started Utah's turnaround, which depended so much on the team's defensive prowess. The Jazz allowed 99.8 PPG (2nd-best in the NBA) on 44.9% shooting (6th).

Oklahoma City: Following a first-round exit last season during Westbrook's MVP campaign, Oklahoma City brought in forwards Paul George and Carmelo Anthony for support, and while it took time to develop, a strong finish has the team feeling pretty good entering the postseason. Westbrook (25.4-10.1-10.3), George (21.9 & 5.7) and Anthony (16.2 & 5.8) are clearly a dynamic trio but the Thunder saw defensive stopper Andre Roberson suffer a season-ending injury in late January. It eventually opened the door for Oklahoma City to sign Corey Brewer, who has averaged 10.1 PPG in 18 games. However, as noted above, he is questionable for the opener due to a sprained knee.

The pick: The season series between these two teams as over by Dec. 23, as OKC won three straight over Utah in a 19-day span that month. Much has changed (for both teams) since and this marks the first meeting in the playoffs between the teams since 2000, when the Thunder franchise was located in Seattle. This could be a 'war' and my play is an 8* on the Under.